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University of California Press

About the Book

The trickster appears in the myths and folktales of nearly every traditional society. Robert Pelton examines Ashanti, Fon, Yoruba, and Dogon trickster-figures in their social and mythical contexts and in light of contemporary thought, exploring the way the trickster links animality and ritual transformation; culture, sex, and laughter; cosmic process and personal history; divination and social change.


The trickster appears in the myths and folktales of nearly every traditional society. Robert Pelton examines Ashanti, Fon, Yoruba, and Dogon trickster-figures in their social and mythical contexts and in light of contemporary thought, exploring the way th

About the Author

Robert D. Pelton is a Roman Catholic priest, a member of Madonna House Apostolate.

Table of Contents

I. Interpreting the Trickster 
II. Ananse: Spinner of Ashanti Doubleness 
III. Legba: Master of the Fon Dialectic 
IV. Legba and Eshu: Writers of Destiny 
V. Ogo-Yurugu: Lord of the Random, Servant of Wholeness 
VI. Toward a Theory of the Trickster 

Appendix 
Selected Bibliography 
Index